This isn't me, but I did end up enjoying my meditation experience. Shutterstock

I went on a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in northern Thailand.

Students take a vow of silence and meditate for 10 hours per day.

I experienced noticeable, long-lasting results.

Courses are donation-based and located in over 150 centers on six continents.

I went on my first silent meditation retreat in 2012. When I signed up, I envisioned 10 blissful days of meditation in the misty Thai mountains, totally serene and free from all worldly distractions. Prepping for my third course this November, however, I knew exactly what I was getting into.

Sometimes it would be blissful, and there would definitely be no distractions (none!). But I also knew there would be frustration and tears, bodily pain, painful memories, and not nearly as much mist as one might expect.

My retreat took me on a tour through every possible emotion, dragging up memories I didn't realize I still had. It was intense and rigorous, an experience closer to a surgical procedure than a relaxing holiday. But after a few days, I began to notice actual results.

In the end, I walked away with my head feeling several pounds lighter. I felt clear and content, with a greater capacity for patience, compassion and gratitude.

Read on to hear more about my journey.

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The center is located on a peaceful, leafy campus about an hour south of Chiang Mai.

The campus.
Allison Reiber DiLiegro

The Dhamma Simanta meditation center is in Lamphun, Thailand, about an hour south of Chiang Mai. The campus is simple, leafy and peaceful, with a dining hall, a walking path through frangipani trees and a large meditation hall with high ceilings, dim lighting, and neat rows of cushions.

Dorm rooms are spare but cozy, with a twin bed, a chair, a couple shelves and a private bathroom with a small mirror.

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For the 10 days I spent at the center I was (almost) completely silent.

My room.
Allison Reiber DiLiegro

On the first day, students take a vow of "noble silence," or silence in speech, body and mind. No communication is allowed between students, even by eye contact or gestures. Students are free to ask the instructor questions about the technique or speak to the course leader with administrative concerns, but otherwise there is total silence.

Aside from no speaking, there is no reading, writing, yoga, cooking or chores beyond keeping your room tidy. Any belongings that could be a distraction are stowed away in lockers. Phones, books, cameras, laptops, and even pens and notebooks, all get locked up.

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I woke up at 4 a.m., went to bed at 9:30 p.m., and spent a total of 10 and a half hours meditating.

That's a total of 10 and a half hours of meditation per day. And, hungry types might have noticed, no dinner. First-time students are allowed have a snack at tea time, but returning students are encouraged to go without.

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The meditation focuses scanning your body for physical sensations, and learning to just observe them instead of react to them.

The goal of the meditation is to let go of thoughts and grudges that are weighing you down.
Allison Reiber DiLiegro

The Vipassana meditation technique is guided by physical bodily sensations rather than mantras or visualizations. Sitting cross-legged, you start by closing your eyes and mentally scanning the top of your head to find a sensation. It can be an itch, a twitch, a pulse — anything. Once you've noticed a sensation, you observe it for a moment and move on to the next body part, like the forehead. You continue like this until you scan the entire body and then you start over again. That's it.

The most important part, however, is to not react to the sensations. You just observe them. You do not scratch the itch or resent the knot in your back for making you so uncomfortable. When you don't react, you eventually see that all sensations inevitably passes away on their own.

Lots of thoughts will come up while you're doing this. Your job is not to banish your thoughts, but to just observe them passively without engaging with them. In doing so, they eventually get bored of not being played with and go away. In doing so, you free yourself of these old thoughts and grudges that weigh you down.

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For me, remaining aware of my body, but totally neutral at the same time, really works.

The science of this technique is admittedly a little shaky. But regardless of why, I'm sure I actually feel it working. Sometimes, if I manage to remain totally neutral but aware, and I can physically feel old hang-ups release and pass away.

And other times, nothing really happens. Each session is a new and totally different exploration. No matter how it goes, it's thrilling to watch what your mind does when you're paying attention to it.

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There are lots of ways to kick start a meditation practice, but a 10-day meditation course can help build a strong foundation.

The centers I've gone through are part of a non-sectarian network founded by the late S. N. Goenka. There is some talk of the Buddha, as he is said to have invented the technique, but the teachings are not religious and people from all walks of life join.

There are 182 centers located all over the world, with 11 centers in the United States and five in Canada. The courses are free to join and application is on a first come, first served basis. All instructors and staff are there pro-bono. At the end, students are asked to make a donation to fund future courses.

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